(YouTube link of @codemarvelous and I breaking down the deck, for those that hate reading and want to hear our dulcet tones.)

Are you sick and tired of playing Faust, being part of the problem, yet still want to have a deck with 'fork' in the title? Wish to have a lean, mean deck with answers to tons of things in the meta, at instant speed, but not having the blindingly fast starts of Kate?

Do I have a deck for you!

Widely known to people named spags, I retired from Kate, after playing her in 3 Worlds straight. As much as I adored her, she's too generic, and too strong, as a result. However, I still love the flexibility of playing green cards, despite Damon's attempt to destroy instant speed answers. Luckily, he helped create another one, in Artist Colony. The card is good, REAL good. I am not throwing around the 'broken' term (we'll save that for cards named 'Faust'), but, having instant speed answers at your fingertips allows for some interesting deck choices.

Let's start with props for this build. It begins with @x3r0h0ur, he of the massive NRDB karma value. I saw him play Hayley at the first big Chicago SC, and was impressed. We traded a lot of notes. His deck focuses more on SacCon/Faerie recursion. However, I found D4V1D to be more useful in the current meta, and tried to fit it in. Plus, I completely forgot an answer to Sentries in my first SC with this, and did fine. I've been working with others on the deck, as well, tuning it up with @d1en, @bahram-aka-saetzero, @flowerscandrink, @hhooo, @calimsha, @foilflaws, and many more. I'm trying to spread the disease of playing a non-Faust Shaper that isn't Kate, and it seems to be working (5 of 33 in my last SC were on Hayley).

I wanted a nimble deck, and decided that it needed to focus Hayley's ability. Events aren't helping her out in that regard, so the econ had to be based around Aesop’s. This is quite a difference from past Kates I piloted, which ran on either Desperado or PPVP (the latter a model I helped found). It was a nice difference, and pushed for some creative deckbuilding options.

Let’s look at the cards:

EVENTS

The most minimal part of the deck is the Events list. I had toyed with Diesel, but found it to be one of the least essential cards. Also, if you want to play on Hard Mode, and are already not running such staples as Sure Gambles, why not go the next step and remove the most staple of green cards. Dien suggested ‘moar Scavenge’, and I like it. They can trigger Hayley’s ability, give you 3 creds on a Cache if you really need creds, and fire Technical Writers for 2 triggers. A really nice card, especially considering most of your programs benefit from being reinstalled. The Stimhack was a @hhooo suggestion, to help with some speed and oomph v. Foodcoats. It works well with Artist Colony and SMC, as well. Finally, a LARLA, because sometimes a deck reset is needed, and necessary. Running out of Clone Chips or your Plascrete can require a fire.

HARDWARE

The hardware is fairly standard. RDI is your lock, and where you win most of your games. Since we are not on events, this is where we have to play multi-access. Plus, Hayley’s ability, Tech Writers, etc. I usually find that locking two servers is what we do to win: R&D and the scoring remote. 3 Clone Chip are essential. I tried cutting to 2, and always missed it. Instant speed is great, and being able to fire them on the Corp turn for an extra Hayley trigger is great. The goal of the deck is to maximize clicks, and they really help. Plus, they provide tons of flexibility, and really help with the Clot lock. Astrolabe and 1 Plas are key cards, the latter especially in here.

RESOURCES

My favourite part of this deck is what kind of interesting answers we can jam in as Resources. Most of my Hayley triggers come in this area. Hayley’s advantage is 5 clicks a turn, and a great way to take advantage of that is by running cheap second installs. All of the zero cost Resources here really help. Plus, the look on opponent’s face when they see Fan Site for the first time is worth the price of its addition. Aesop is a key part of the econ for the deck, and maybe should be a 3 of. However, he’s not as essential as he is in Noise, for example, and !slots are tight. Therefore, went with 2. I have used Artist Colony to get him, even.

Speaking of Artist Colony, I always like to try new cards. What’s the point of playing an LCG if you don’t try new shite out? AC seems like a really good card. However, I saw most Kate players trying it as a one-of toolbox toy. I wanted to build around it. As a result, 3 Fan Site was a necessary add to fuel it. Worst case, FS was a free install that turns into 3 credits. AC allows for a lot of great plays at instant speed, something that I thought Damon didn’t like. It does take a bit more work to get it to work, unlike Clone Chip. AC can fire mid-run, on opponent’s turns, and create some really intriguing plays, finding you solutions to problems as they arise. I’ve gotten breakers during a run, playing what I really needed from hand. I’ve played a program from deck, dropping my Clot from hand when it got stuck there. I have done the same with Plas, before the Traffic Accident or Scorch hits. Having this kind of security blanket is really freeing, and allows for some cool, high-level plays. It almost makes you play like Iain, wanting them to score, so that your Fan Sites can score. Finally, it welcomes News Teams and 15 Mimutes as fuel. It is the kind of card I play this game for.

Most of the resources are here for your econ: Tech Writer, Aesop, Casts, ProCo. The rest are your tools. Film Critic is really good right now, with Future Perfect still around, and lots of ugliness scoring agendas v. certain yellow dex. Getting her out at instant speed when needed is really nice. The same can be said for Hunting Grounds, which deals with a lot of problem ICE I see being played: Booth, Raven, Pike, Pop, Komainu, and even Quicksand. Same Old Thing is there for a LARLA backup v. damage dex, and is even nice with Scavenge and Stimhack, if needed.

PROGRAMS

The programs are fairly straightforward Shaper stuff. This deck is as toolbox-y of a deck I have played, so inclusions of 1-ofs can work. 2 SMC is a judgment call, but I find I don’t need it a ton. It’s really awful mid-to-late game in here. If you like it, run 3. It is nice to have it to get Clot, but, I lost to a Hayley this weekend (a clone of this deck, essentially), but on 1 SMC! Sometimes better to be lucky, as they say. I think Sentries aren’t a huge issue, hence the dropping of Mimic for the Hunting Grounds. Chameleon is my Sentry breaker, dealing with low level shite like Caduceus, Architect, and Rototurret. Atman at 4 deals with tons of HB issues, including Ichi 1.0, and D4 gets the rest. Having a rig of Lady/CyCy/Atman 4/D4 is pretty difficult to deal with, even in Food. If they only have ASH, two runs through even the toughest of scoring remotes becomes ridiculously cheap. This deck isn’t the fastest to start, and I get that. However, once set, the mid-to-late game becomes really hard for the Corp, as Hayley’s runs become really cheap.

IN CONCLUSION

Your matchups across the board are really nice due to the flexibility of this build. Hayley is a ninja, allowing remote strikes from nowhere. Clot, Plas, and FC really ruin a lot of yellow dex’s days. Blue Sun is an absolute joke v. this; I have lost zero BS games in at least 15 on JNET, including v. that Bootcamp dude. Food may be the toughest matchup, due to Caprice. If you can keep them poorer, forcing ICE rezzes, you may have time to lock R&D and pressure the remotes. FA has a hard time v. Clot, 3 CCs, and LARLA. If facing NEHFA, kill the CVS, kill the Team Sponsorship, and you can win.

There’s lots of Influence that can be moved around. Feel free to add a Mimic, or SacCon, seasoning to taste. 2 Lady is understandable, or even a Corroder, if you want to save a deckslot. Get those Diesels back in there if you like to set up faster. Down the road, The Turning Wheel and PolOp could be really solid adds.

Thanks all who tried this out! It’s different, for sure. I have played it in two SCs, going 8-2. Finally, thanks to @sotomatic for the name. I had a few names for it, and more suggestions. However, I liked the ‘fork’ mocking, and the online hipster vibe of the name fits many cards in here (Critic, AC, FS, HG, Stimhack, etc.). Plus, the deck literally pitches things away to two different cards.

i should probably leave a real comment since spags deserves better, for the great deck/description and originality. this deck is really powerful, but i hate playing against it and even watching it, because waiting minutes for the runner to finish all their installs triggers, then following it up with a 5-second turn, has you feeling disheartened and helpless real quick if you're not able to rush 7 points out.

I've enjoyed playing a deck like this for the past two weeks. The amount of shaper BS you can pull to get out of situations and pressure the late game is astounding. Thanks to you all. It has been a nice change.

It's not really a knock against the deck, I don't think -- it's more on how a corp's impatience can build up. Here's a sample turn that I actually watched last weekend of this deck played in real life (the runner was very methodical in tracking everything, as you have to be):

Before end of your turn, sacrifice Fan Site to search for Cache from Stack and install Cache onto Scheherezade. Gain a credit from Scheherezade, add one credit each to two Technical Writers. Trigger Hayley to install second Cache from Grip onto Scheherezade. Gain a credit from Scheherezade, add one credit each to two Technical Writers. Start of my turn, gain credits from Daily Casts, sell a Cache to Aesop's Pawnshop. ProCo, ProCo, install SMC onto Scheherezade. Gain a credit from Scheherezade, add one credit each to two Technical Writers. Trigger Hayley to install second Chameleon from Grip onto Scheherezade, naming Sentry. Gain a credit from Scheherezade, add one credit each to two Technical Writers. Run R&D last click. Pop SMC to install David onto Scheherezade. Gain a credit from Scheherezade, add one credit each to two Technical Writers. Before accessing, sacrifice Fan Site to search for RDI from Stack and install RDI. Add one credit each to two Technical Writers. Access. Pass turn.

It's not as bad on Jnet when a lot of these are tracked automatically, though!

Great deck @spags Played it this past weekend to 2nd, only dropping games to the infamous Bioroid Josh01-X20XD6 Footcoats deck. I still had the Diesel in the deck and you're very true in that it felt unneeded. I was rock Scheherazade over Stamherk, but will try that out for a little burst on the run. Thanks again for the awesome deck!

@SSniper050Great to hear! I saw you spying on me on JNET the past few weeks. Glad it paid off! Scheherazade is a nice judgment call, but, you have to find it, and can make the deck a bit durdley. However, it ups the game on those Cache. Well played! Food is tough for the deck currently, esp. if a bioroid is playing it. Glad to see humans playing real dex!

@SSniper050Great to hear! I saw you spying on me on JNET the past few weeks. Glad it paid off! Scheherazade is a nice judgment call, but, you have to find it, and can make the deck a bit durdley. However, it ups the game on those Cache. Well played! Food is tough for the deck currently, esp. if a bioroid is playing it. Glad to see humans playing real dex!

I always find when I play a deck like this I really want to have some card draw, but you have precisely 0 draw in the deck. I suppose ProCon helps mitigate this by giving you cash4clicks.com. Eh, I guess all the Artist tutoring also helps with setup speed. I'll have to give it a go =)

Im glad you kept the wasteland, it has been so clutch for me. Have you all done any testing around dagger/switchblade and adding a little stealth? Feels like a bit of a meta call if everyone goes full glacier, but fan site/Artist seems like it could alleviate some of the slow setup time stealth gets.

I've been extensively testing various changes, but I think you've got it as meta generic as it can get, which is super solid. Now I have to play against this for the next few weeks. -_-

@x3r0h0ur You mean HG. I don't really like stealth, because I feel that it has too many support pieces required. It's nice, but, doesn't really fit with a AC/FS package, IMHO.

Sorry you'll have to face it. Hard to see one's creation turn on oneself.

@Jard HB is more of an issue due to the nice variety of multi-sub ICE that can be taxing. What do you mean by high STR Sentries? I don't mind multi-Vikram/Assassin/Ichi 2.0. They're expensive, much more so than D4 and recurring said D4. It's why Blue Sun becomes such a great matchup. Not only to you murder OAI targets in the cradle, but, the efficiency of D4 v. their high rez cost ICE give you the advantage. 3 Chips and 3 Scavenge provide more recursion than they can handle, making it cheap to run.

The bigger issue is tons of lower STR, multi-sub ICE early. Stacked Elis, Vik 1.0s, Vipers, Walls of Static, etc., or NEXT ICE, can be an issue if they rush agendas.

@noon The problem with Harbinger is an anti-synergy with Hayley, since the facedown install triggers her ability. Since this always happens at the beginning of the turn with Aesop's, there's no way to beat it to the punch. Not a bad include, but I'd always rather go with 3x Cache first, especially since those net a profit by themselves.

I think the 3 resource cost makes it a big question mark. I would go back to a femme if LL ever was a solid slot. I think that's more for a hardcore glacier meta, with lots of tollbooths and stuff though. Without the femme, I think the scavenge is a perfect low-profile (0cr) solution.

I've been playing the pants off this since spags showed it to me, and its going to be hard to squeeze more juice out of the this build.

I like this deck. Most Hayleys I have seen have a perfect split between hw/program/resources, which I am not that fond of.

"AC allows for a lot of great plays at instant speed, something that I thought Damon didn’t like."

I think it is about cheap instant-speed. AC requires you to spend an agenda or have to go through some loops. You can't just slap down a 1-cost hardware that magically lets you install stuff anytime. Also, resources are easier to trash than hardware.

Been futzing with Ms. Kaplan since Dan played someone Chameleon-focussed (but otherwise similar) deck on stream. This iteration has some top quality Shaper Bullshit I haven't seen since my Nasir days. A++ would install 2 RDIs mid-run again.

The rig does feel a little light against HB, though. Atman 4 is necessary for Ichi 1.0, but I often want one at 3 or 5, depending on the ICE I'm staring at. An RnD consisting of Assassin, Ichi 1.0 and Vikram (starting with the innermost) was really taxing on the D4v1d to run. A couple brain got me through, but I could see that being a problem. A second Atman is the first thing that came to mind. Not sure what I'd cut though. Maybe a Scavenge, but they feel so good once you get over the fact that having three means you can use the much more freely than you could in PPVP Kate.

@Thike What about adding in an Escher to deal with a stacked sentry server? Escher also seems like it would be nice to help avoid the need to scavenge the CyCy's in order to get into a multitude of code gate servers. Would going down to two fan site to slot the Escher be viable or is that too big of a hit on the Shaper BS / Aesop's food?

@Smaug I have not thought of LL. That is an interesting call, but requires more devotion to program installs. Plus, it would be better used with some higher cost programs, like Femme. I'm not opposed to it, as it works well with Lady and D4.

@Therad No doubt. I understand the ease of usage, and the cheap INF cost, of Clone Chip leading to its permanent home on the MWL.

@Thike I have numerous times dropped 2 RDI prior to access on R&D. A great feeling. A server, as you described, can be an issue. Shaper Bullshite can get you through, overwriting and reinstalling the D4 midrun. Also, a combination of clicks and buying off traces can help, too. In the situation described, I would try to run every other turn or so, ensuring enough pressure with RDIs. Sounds like a mid-to-late game situation of they have 17 rez cost of ICE rezzed on R&D. 2 Atman sounds good, but, the MUs are limited, and she's damn pricey.

@Varren People have been running Escher in Kate, and I think that's fine. However, I feel like I only attack 2 servers, so the CyCys do work, along with Atman. Stacked Sentries are an issue, for sure, but having tons of Sentries has become a rarity, IMHO, outside of Yellow. Even there, Hunting Grounds helps.

In Lady Hayleys name! If 4 and 5 str sentries are causing you trouble, consider a 1 of LLDS Processor so you can set your Atman at 5 and our lovely dream lizard can deal with 3 and 4, leaving the only gap with sentries is Archer, which we have D4v1d for.

I think the problem with LL as a solution to getting taxed out with D4v1d is that you can't get D4 back into your hand once you've decided to play it short of Levy.

One possible solution might be the upcoming card, Brahman, which is a fairly efficient AI breaker for 3 and below, and who's downside plays somewhat nicely with the downside of Lady, D4v1d, and CyCy. Even Chameleon isn't a terrible target since it was going to go back to hand anyway. Plus, with Pro-Co being a major part of this deck's economy, redrawing the cards is less of a tempo hit. I think the biggest thing holding it back is the 2MU, but it might be something to consider.

Hadn't checked NRDB Deck of the Week, played some games with my Blue Sun bootcamp last night just to get warmed up for a SC today. Ran into this deck four (...) times in a row. Wasn't pleased; thankfully, no one was running it today in real-life. You aren't kidding, it really is a miserably difficult matchup.

What do you do vs Archer? Sure, you have David, which can get through once... but then what? Clone chip it back every time you get through? Set Atman to 6? Seems not great. If 2 archers get rezzed then there's going to be a lot of trouble.

Took the card-for-card list to a 20-ish person tournament today. 4-0. roflstomped a fastro, decked a Foodcoats after sacc'ing a 2 pointer for Clot. Still getting used to the tempo of the beast. She's a weird one, but it kinda feels like learning PPVP Kate all over again.

I've been the exclusive Hayley rep at Minneapolis for a while now and I like your innovations, you've convinced me to try artist colony and drop diesel. It feels so wrong but I agree it's probably right.

I prefer all in on chameleon (and d4 and inti) because it allows me to play hyperdrivers (so good), but I'm sure you've tested that version as well so I won't bother trying to argue it.

I'm surprised to see you give up completely on HQ pressure though. I'd think a single legwork to use right before starting R&D lock would be worthwhile to make sure there's no free points lying around after putting in all that hard work remote locking the corp. Also, since so many corps are on an all 2 pointers plan, what do you think about squeezing in a single notoriety? Did you consider a single sac construct to stop CVS?

Basically, our decks are very similar and I want you to explain your reasons for all the differences between our decks to see if I like your choices more. :p

Ehh, forget the notoriety. 3 R&D interface is clearly enough late game power. I still think legwork would get you more points then two cache. Early cache aren't that powerful for you and you'd still have one for clone chipping.

I've played this a fair bit in the past week. I've enjoyed it a lot but I really, really felt the lack of Parasite was hurting me - one game saw three Yagura over R&D that I was paying to break with Cyber Cypher or Atman-0, another game saw numerous NEXT ice rezzed, etc. Any advice on dealing with stuff that other runners would handle with Parasite?

For my part, I went:

-1 Cache, -1 Hunting Grounds, -1 Stimhack

+1 Parasite, +1 Paricia, +1 Deus X.

(It's safe to say those last two could be something else pretty easily as well, but Jinteki.net seems to have a lot of IG & NEH decks lately.) I miss having the third Cache, and I'm sure against ETF I would want the Stimhack (losing it makes Same Old Thing worse as well) but I can't imagine giving up D4V1D either so I don't think there's any other way to fit Parasite in.

@spags how do you feel about going to 46 or even 47 cards with the deck? I've added 1x Sacrificial Construct to the list, since my meta is full of CVS (yellow decks pack 2-3 CVSs) to get a full blown lock on the Clot.

Also, in all my games, chameleon was ALWAYS a mimic, so I just replaced -1 Chameleon, -1 Stimhack, +1 Mimic, +1 NRE. I feel NRE will do serious business against foodcoats - allowing to mimic through Ichis and Atman4 through str5 stuff (Ichi 2, Asssin, Vikram) if needed.

Also you can synergize NRE with Plascrete not to lose any cards, and then sell it to aesops for 0 loss. You can also get both of them installed at the same time if you have AC and either one of them in hand. The install order does not matter, so it doesn't matter which one you have in hand. You can AC the NRE from deck, and then there are two triggers, which you chose order of (even on the opponent's turn), and you chose to install new hardware first, and then suffer the meat damage which you can now prevent with the Plascrete you just installed.

@trevaur Note the comment above. Having 3 Scavenge and 3 Clone Chips give you 7 D4s, pre-LARLA, if you want. If that's not enough to help with large ICE, set Atman at STR whatever you need. If the opponent is rezzing 2 Archers, and you can set Atman at 6, I think you already won. Same if they're hard rezzing a Curtain Wall. Most of the time, no Oversight'd ICE lives.

@JamesG 2 Atman is a tough call. Atman 4 AND 5?!? Ridiculously expensive, and eating up the MUs.

@ScrappySPJ I don't think e3 has enough usage in a deck like this to justify the INF.

@BoomFrog Let's chat! I don't know your list, but we can discuss differences when I see it. I have considered HQ pressure, but found at the right time, after too much durdling, single access there becomes pretty potent. If you really want to pressure that server, run Escher. Also, I do like SacCon, and may try to fit it in at some point, if people go harder on FA after PolOp drops.

@Manticore The lack of Parasite does hurt. Life is hard, and one cannot have every tool available in this post-MWL world. Sometimes, things need to be played around, or just accepted. Feel free to add Parasite, but, without Sucker support, it's strictly a conditional card that isn't great. Sure, it's good v. NEXT ICE, or Tour Guide, but you have to ask yourself about the frequency you expect to see that stuff. You note 3 Yagura on R&D was hard, but, if a 3 ICE R&D attack costs me only 6 credits, I am quite happy.

@fiveplus5is55 Scavenge is so useful in this deck, especially with programs that reset their counters. Hunting Grounds is a personal preference card, but, has done me much work. This is a high skill deck, for sure, and requires practice, patience, and the timing of knowing when to strike.

@Stiv If you must know one thing about me, know that I'm a 45 card guy. Sorry. NRE is a nice add, and @foilflaws won an SC with it in. All INF is in flux, especially in this deck. There is no right or wrong answer, only personal preference and meta calls. Go with g00ru!

@spags and @Stiv You can still fit NRE with 45. -1 chameleon, -1 Hunting Grounds, +1 mimic, +1 NRE is how I roll. Mainly because I have a lot of good HB in my meta and it's more important to tech for that then NEH. I don't think sac con is necessary. This deck already has a great NEH match up.

@spags Yeah, atman 4 and 5 are expensive but you don't have to install them both at the same time. I think I played against you ( as foodocoats) and had Atman 4, then d4, then Atman 4 and 5 and I had enough money to run rd and the remote. I 've found that taxing hayley is really hard, money-wise, as Proco-aesop-cache-t writer makes you filthy rich ( and I run also scheherazade), while taxing D4 counters is far easier and you don't always have a cc or a scavenge when you need them. MU can be a problem, you're right, but you can just play around with 5 MU in my opinion

I know it's more MU, but is there any value to Datasucker? If you're trying to decide between 4tman and 5tman, it doesn't take many datasucker counters to let you get the best of both worlds, especially if you have d4v1d as backup in case of a purge. I guess if you're not running centrals much it might be hard to get enough counters, so NRE might be better, but datasucker will let you break a Vikram and an Ichi in the same run with 4tman, whereas NRE won't.

`@flowerscandrink' I thought about nre and it' s definitely good against hb, but problematic against blue sun builds which usually run assassin and archer at the same time, which are both quite taxing to D4. I will try with 1 Atman and NRE, maybe I'm being too conservative

Pros for Chameleon: You can use hyperdrivers which with proco often read, "gain 4-8 credits and 3 cards".
Faster setup and earlier threat. One chameleon or SMC lets you threaten most early game servers, and 1 LLDS and 2 chameleon will get you in almost anywhere until late game.
Mid to late game runs cost about 1c per subroutine to get in. The instal click is often neutral cost with rara and zad and even a gain with writers out.

Cons Depend on that first LLDS to break strength 4 ICE. Fortunately eli, viper and ichi can be gotten through if an agenda is on the line. Only lotus field and rainbow really stop you before that first LLDS.

+1 Personal Workshop
Workshop is for late game when you start needing three chameleons at once, you can load two chameleons on slow turns, and you can store chameleons there to save through levy.

−1 Stimhack −1 Film Critic −1 Hunting Grounds −1 Cache +1 Imp
Imp is an experiment, it's HQ pressure, it ruins kill combos, kills future perfects and cheaply takes out san sans. The main awkwardness is hitting a CVS with a fresh imp, but that's still generally a win in the fight against fast advance. If imp doesn't work out I'll try hunting ground, stimhack and cache next.

−1 Plascrete Carapace +1 Bookmark
Bookmark is protection against kill. You need to be more proactive than with plascrete so you won't get that sweet move baiting the corp to use a 24/7 but it's more useful in non meat damage match-ups. if you detect a kill deck load up 3+ cards and save it for emergencies. If there's no kill then just use it as extra hand size to store levy, legwork and R&DI for the late game. Occasionally useful to store something before an early levy. Worst case it's something to write about before giving to Aesop.

−1 Astrolabe −1 Aesop's Pawnshop
Only 1x astrolabe requires a bit more MU juggling, but can be worked around. With no cache in the deck I don't need to see Aesops early. Every card is worth playing even if he didn't exist, he's a bonus, not a lynchpin.

−1 R&D Interface +1 Sacrificial Construct
I'd love to keep 3 R&DI but 2 seems okay since they are tutorable. Sac construct is the 45th card and depending on your meta can easily be something else.

@Spags Why not splash Mimic instead of using Chameleon for Sentries? Also, I have never been a fan of ProCon, how necessary do you think it is to this build? You rely a lot on resources, I would be really worried about Breaking News --> All-seeing I. In fact, I've gotten that exact move off vs this deck and it just wins the game. Even Breaking News to just trash ProCon or a loaded technical writer seems really painful.

@trevaur can't speak for spags, but in a SC when I was not expecting to see any ravens or anyone rocking killteki I went -1 Hunting Grounds -1 Chameleon +1 Mimic +1 NRE (plus some other changes - literally the same deck foilflaws won an SC with last weekend, if he posts it at some point) and it works fine. It's a big help in the HB matchup, in fact, what with their plethora of 4/5 strength ice - Atman 5 + a NRE'd Mimic helps take some of the strain off poor D4v1d.

Don't take the Proco out, though. The deck lives and dies by the Proco. No one is bothering to slot ASI. Can't worry about every single edge case, after all.

@trevaur Save clone chips for d4v1d and hope it's enough. Honestly spags deck is much more tested than mine so you should probably play pitchfork. ;)

@spags Yeah, heavy on chameleon makes everything different. The more I think about it the more I like your breaker suite, I just wonder if there's a way to fit hyper-drivers in. Maybe a single leprechaun.. : /

@trevaur Save clone chips for d4v1d and hope it's enough. Honestly spags deck is much more tested than mine so you should probably play pitchfork. ;)

@spags Yeah, heavy on chameleon makes everything different. The more I think about it the more I like your breaker suite, I just wonder if there's a way to fit hyper-drivers in. Maybe a single leprechaun.. : /

For those talking about adding a second Atman so you can put them at 4 and 5, why not just add a Datasucker instead? Seems a lot better than spending an additional 8 creds to get your second Atman on 5...

@boomfrog I've personally been playing a Hayley deck similar to this for a few months (sans AC stuff, with chameleons as my suite) with diesels instead of PC and it worked very well for me. I'm just so hesitant to play something so vulnerable to breaking news. I'm an NBN player, and I kill probably half of all PC's that ever get played against me. I always laugh when they get played turn 1 as next turn I install a breaking news behind a raven. Always works vs shaper, especially decks like this that need so much set up, and the tempo swing is ridiculous. Bonus points if you have all seeing I to kill a couple more resources.

@trevaur Ehh, The proco got used for two turns so probably got 4-5 credits off of it, and you spent a click and two credits, I'd call that a win for the corp but not a ridiculous swing. The real pain is that the deck is tuned to run smoothly with proco so it can stall a bit without it. If you are concerned about it then add more early money cards, but don't cut proco.

With only deisal you are spending a lot of clicks to just draw. Shapers should either be using 3x diesel + 3-5 quality time/earthrise/gameday + money, or should be using proco. The reason to use proco is condensing slots, the downside is your eggs are in one basket. But if you're only going to devote three deck slots to draw those slots should be proco. (and it's installable so artist colony)

It's a lot bigger swing than I think you realize. That ProCon needed to be drawn and then played for a click and 5 creds before it does anything. If you only use it 4-5 times before it got trashed then you are very far behind what you would have been if it was a Diesel or Earthrise instead. Earthrise is pretty great in this deck too, so with 3x Diesel and 1-2x Earthrise and astrolabe you're getting a lot of draws and you aren't totally screwed if you get tagged with Midseason cause you have diesels.

@trevaur With a base of 1 click = 1 card = 1 credit, it costs 7 to put down ProCon; if you get to use it at least three times before it dies, that's -4. For the Corp to trash, it's -3 with the click (and that's after spending quite a lot to land the Midseason). It's to their advantage, but only slightly.

When I was debating Proco in Hayley, I started tracking how much value it gave me over a game by preloading it with a huge pile of credits. I stopped when I discovered that it always paid out at least 20 in the games where I installed it. That more than makes up for the games where I don't install it (and make no mistake, in many matchups/board states you should absolutely just throw it away).

I do approve of running Diesel instead or in addition to Proco; it's crazy-good acceleration, and Hayley likes cards. I wouldn't run Earthrise without Career Fair, though; in raw efficiency, 1 to draw + 1 to play + 4 creds = 6, for a 6 card drip. Great card in Criminal and Anarch, but just okay out of Shaper.

Really neat deck. I've been toying around with similar Hayley decks that have won SC tournaments, and something seemed to be missing. After watching YouTube video, I think you have me sold on ProCo and the breaker suite (modified as discussed in comments).

For those considering HQ pressure: How do you feel about the new CBI Raid? I know Legwork can straight up earn more points with the right time, but I like how CBI Raid can also hurt the Corp's tempo. Especially in Shaper decks that use R&D locks to win, I feel like that would be really effective. Has anyone tested that yet?

Regardless, I can see this deck being really powerful even without any HQ pressure.

@lukifer Earlier, you said "The problem with Harbinger is an anti-synergy with Hayley, since the facedown install triggers her ability. Since this always happens at the beginning of the turn with Aesop's, there's no way to beat it to the punch." Isn't this incorrect? You can technically use Clone Chip or Artist Colony at step 1.1 of the runner's turn, install an extra card from hand with Hayley's ability, and then sell Harbinger to Aesop's Pawnshop at step 1.2.

Regarding Diesel vs. Proco: I have been using Diesel, but I also found myself hurting in a few games when I didn't get any Technical Writers out early. I like ProCo but worry about the games where you don't start with Astrolabe, Aesop's, or ProCo in hand. How do you deal with that?

@rwknoll Wouldja look at that! You are correct. It's still not ideal, as you might have preferred hard-installing that turn rather than burning SMC/CC, but it's nice to know there's a way around it.

I don't rely on Astrolabe for draw (perhaps a mistake for an NEH meta, but I've had good results with Maya). I solve it by mulling for Proco/Aesop religiously, and also running 3x Diesel, to smooth out the consistency.

@rwknoll Indeed; my build is here. It's not a Fan Site variant, which saves slots; if it were, the Diesels might be less relevant, since I could AC to fetch Aesop. I also run only one console and 2 RDI, which seems to be enough in practice.

@rwknoll I like CBI Raid. Could be a nice add. Hard to find INF in here, and with only 1 possible recursion play (outside of LARLA), I feel it's less impactful here.

Trust me, all, I was skeptical of the Diesel drop. It's the quintessential Shaper card. However, my qualms were calmed by own experience, as well as many other top players I've seen try variants on this.

Thanks Spags for posting this deck, really like it.
Regarding the discussion about including Brahman and the required MU, I was thinking of including NetChip which could be used to install it on as 2 installs mean you have 2 MU on each of them and on top it would be a possibility to include Battering Ram which is also very MU heavy, but I'm not sure if it makes sense.
Will try it soon.
I think Brahman synergises very well with Cerberus "Lady" H1 & D4v1d and of course Technical Writer the question is at the end one of the timing and when you use Brahman. Have tried to create an appropriate deck, but not successful until now, but will keep you posted.
Replacing Astrolabe with NetChip I have mixed feelings, I think Astrolabe is a big help in terms of Card draw, but on the other side opponents try to avoid that you gain the benefit out of it and play around it where possible.

This is exactly what I've been trying to play for a while, but you made it into something magical. Thanks for making me see that Sure Gamble and Diesel aren't necessary! I dropped them for the AC/FS suite and I think I'm in love.